Annual report 2018-19 www.writersguild.org.uk The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain is a trade union registered at 134 Tooley Street, London SE1 2TU Contents General 3 BRANCH REPORTS OTHER REPORTS Secretary’s report Editorial & London & 27 Chair’s report 22 Communications 6 South East Committee 8 President’s report South West 23 (Devon and OBITUARIES Finance report 10 Cornwall) Remembering South West 28 23 CRAFT COMMITTEE (Wessex) WGGB members REPORTS 24 Wales 11 Books 25 West Midlands 12 Comedy 26 Yorkshire and 13 Film North East 14 Radio 26 Vacancies Television 15 Theatre 18 21 Videogames CONTACT US JOIN US If you want to contact any of the WGGB Officers, If you are not a WGGB member, and Craft Chairs or Regional Representatives featured would like to join, you can do this online: in this annual report, you can find their details on our website: www.writersguild.org.uk www.writersguild.org.uk/contact/ Or by phone: 020 7833 0777 You can also follow us on Twitter: @TheWritersGuild Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewritersguild 2 WGGB annual report 2018-19 General Secretary’s report In our 60th year we are celebrating the activism and achievements of the WGGB, the writers’ union. WGGB’s Equality Writes campaign has provided undeniable proof to employers that there is a serious issue with inequality in our industry, and they are now working with us to effect positive change for underrepresented groups of writers. Over the past few months, we have met with television Photo: Reece Lipman commissioners, ITV consulted with us during the @ Chocolate development of Comedy 50/50 for women writers, Films the BBC set up an equality and diversity group for writers, and our own Equality and Diversity and the challenges of reporting, and we celebrated Committee continues to grow in strength. progress made across the industry to tackle this. The campaign against free work continues. Recently, The morning session was chaired by WGGB a short film contract came across my desk, which President Olivia Hetreed, and I facilitated the closed offered a scriptwriter the opportunity (for use of a afternoon session with union activists who deal with better term) to have their work produced for free harassment cases. on a complete buyout of rights. This gives another In Europe, we continue to take an active part in meaning to “exploiting a script”. Just to clarify, a negotiating the implementation of the European professional writer is not being unreasonable if they Copyright Directive. Acting with the Musicians’ ask to be paid properly and it is standard practice Union and others, the WGGB fought off a to be paid in exchange for work, not the opposite. last-minute attempt to scupper the directive, which Unpaid work discriminates against writers without was finally adopted in April. The directive must independent means. now be published in the Official Journal of the EU, To further the fight against socioeconomic after which member states will have 24 months to discrimination, we are collaborating with implement the measures at national level. If we sister unions in the Performers Alliance, in the are out of the EU before implementation, we will parliamentary inquiry Breaking the Class Ceiling in campaign for the UK government to adopt the the Arts. A cross-party inquiry into the decline of directive. social mobility in the creative sector will gather oral Further afield, the WGGB continues to support and written evidence to identify how policy makers writers’ unions globally. WGGB stood alongside and others can effect change. It will investigate members of BECTU and WGA East protesting the barriers for those from lower socioeconomic outside the ITV AGM, supporting the WGAE in its backgrounds, review social diversity initiatives and dispute with ITV USA against discrimination and scrutinise best practice from across the industry. unequal pay suffered by US writer-producers, and In January, to further the long-term FEU campaign in its long-standing calls for union recognition. We Creating Without Conflict against bullying and are now supporting the WGA in its dispute with the harassment, the FEU hosted a conference entitled Association of Talent Agents to stop the practice From Disbelief to Dignity. Concentrating on sexual of packaging fees, whereby an agent can act as a harassment, we brought together members, union producer/investor in a programme/series written activists, organisations and employers to discuss the by a writer-client – clearly a conflict of interest and effects of harassment on freelancers detrimental to the agent-writer relationship. www.writersguild.org.uk 3 Back on home turf, we continue to lobby all broadcaster S4C we negotiated a new improved political parties on Brexit. In November 2018, fee structure for their on-demand platform Clic, we co-organised a briefing session at the House effective from December 2018. of Commons titled “Brexit and the Audio-Visual A new fee structure has been negotiated for sector”. Over 30 MPs and peers attended, along podcasts, as part of the BBC Radio Drama with representatives from co-organisers Directors Agreement, and signed off in August last year. The UK, ALCS and the Society of Authors. Over the negotiations resulted in an increase in the public past two years, Chair Gail Renard has been leading service fee from 12.5% to 15%, which is the fee paid on this and has met regularly with MPs and peers. to writers for the five-year public service use. We have also held several briefing sessions alongside unions from the Performers Alliance, Federation of Other wins for writers at a glance: Entertainment Unions and other industry bodies. a 5% increase for Emmerdale writers in August We will continue to lobby politicians during the 2018 and a further 5% in August 2019 current extension period (until October), lest they forget the importance of our industry, both ITV – 2% from 1st November 2018 and an 20% culturally and economically to the UK. increase in attendance fees to £120 from 3rd May 2019 WGGB submitted a response to the Over-75s Licence Fee consultation. We stated that the BBC UKT (theatre) – 4.5% from 1st May 2019 should not be expected to bear the cost of a free ITC (theatre) – 2.5% from 1st April 2019 licence for the over-75s. Instead, this cost should BBC radio – 2% in August 2018 followed by a continue to be borne by government, like all other further 2% in November 2018 welfare benefits. Should the BBC be forced to bear this cost, the impact would be a 20% cut to BBC TV – 2% from 27 November 2018 the BBC budget (£745m from the BBC’s budget Our awards are an important part of our work in in 2021/2022) – a sum equivalent to the amount advocating for writers – to raise the profile of the the BBC spends on all its radio stations or on profession, support new writing and showcase how sports production, drama, film, children’s and important writing is to our culture. Our annual entertainment and comedy content. Writers’ Guild Awards go from strength to strength We have responded positively to the consultation and this year we introduced a new category – Best of the extension of the iPlayer, stating that as long Musical Theatre Bookwriting. Our Olwen Wymark as writers continue to be paid for iPlayer use via Theatre Encouragement Awards and Tinniswood Writers Digital Payments then we support the audio drama script award are two other important extension. dates in our annual calendar. We have met programme executives from the With writers coming together through our major television soaps to address concerns union we can bring about change. None of our members have raised about working practices, achievements over the past year would be possible including the number of rewrites, rewrites vs without writers getting active, as a great deal of re-brief, deadlines within deadlines and bullying this work is driven by our committees – volunteer behaviours. This work has resulted in positive members themselves who give a great deal of their changes. The BBC/PMA/WGGB have signed off time to take part in negotiations and campaigns or Guidelines for Best Practice in Working with organise our events and awards. I would like to Writers on BBC Continuing Drama Series which thank them, and all our Executive Council Officers, have been distributed across the soaps. for their continued hard work this year. I would like to offer a special thank you to the out-going In the nations, prior to BBC Scotland channel getting Chair Gail Renard and President Olivia Hetreed the green light by Ofcom last year, we negotiated for the support they have given me over the past contractual terms for scriptwriters applicable to year and for the exceptional work they have done BBC4 and put protections in place on script fees on behalf of WGGB members, including leading for River City writers. At the Welsh language on bullying and harassment, equality, international 4 WGGB annual report 2018-19 representation and transforming the WGGB More and more new and experienced writers are Awards. I would also like to thank all our dedicated joining our ranks every year. If you are a are one of staff and welcome Nadine Edwards who joins the this growing number, welcome aboard. If you are a staff team as an Organising Assistant. longstanding member, thank you for your support over the years. If you are reading this and are not I would like to thank all WGGB members – a member, please join – we welcome writers at all without you, there would be no WGGB – and by stages of their careers, and just by signing up you working collectively we have the strength to move will make a difference and support our vital work.